Paul Casey takes a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Quinn Direct British Masters at The Belfry. Darren Clarke is third, three shots off the pace.
Three clear overnight, the Ryder Cup star was caught by US Open champion Michael Campbell's three-birdie start, but then showed his class by going away again.
Three birdies in four holes from the 13th put Casey in control, but he did give the chasing pack hope with a closing bogey five for a round of 70 and 13 under par total of 203.
Campbell's 68 lifted him to second and Clarke, Casey's closest challenger at halfway, needed four birdies in the last seven holes to climb into third place on 10 under.
The round ended at 2.45pm so television could switch to the FA Cup final but it was too late to allow Liverpool fan Clarke to take a helicopter flight to Cardiff. He contented himself with watching on a giant screen in the tented village.
Graeme McDowell was unable to make any inroads into Casey's lead, a round of 73 dropping him to five-under while Padraig Harrington's challenge fizzled out in the damp conditions.
The Dubliner, who carded a 66 yesterday, followed that with a disappointing round of 74 to lie one-under for the tournament. David Higgins will be aiming for a top-20 finish after posting a 71 to move to two-under.
